Public joint-stock company Turboatom (Kharkiv) buys welded pipes to make condensers of turbines for National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom from a foreign manufacturer at a price that is almost twice higher than their market price: some $12 per kg with the market price of around $6.8 per kg.
Director of Osada Institute of Tube Industry Radomyr Korol gave the information at a press conference.
“Today welded pipes are bought using budget funds at a price that is actually twice more than the market price”, he said, adding that the wholesale batches imply the price lower than the market price.
Korol said that the lifespan of these welded pipes was around 10 years. Thus, the use of welded pipes in the conditions of permanent lack of financing of the energy sector is unviable, as seamless pipes with the market price of around $15 per kg can be used for 30 years and even 50 years.
He said that Energoatom stated it saved 10% of funds when the company bought equipment from Turboatom.
Energoatom Executive Director for Production Valentyn Bulhakov said the use of welded pipes for this equipment was the decision of Energoatom. Initially in 2006 seamless pipes were proposed. Last year the equipment replacement project was changed in favor of welded pipes as their quality characteristics have been improved with their lower price.
“Welded pipes are 30-50% cheaper. This is a large sum, taking into account the cost of one kilogram of pipes”, he said.
He said that their lifespan was also 30 years.
Bulhakov said that welded pipes were successfully used all over the globe. These pipes were installed at a reactor of Yuzhnoukrainsk nuclear power plant (NPP) last year. These pipes are used in condensers of some Russian NPPs.
In addition, Korol focused on the fact that in the condition of idle facilities of Ukrainian pipe producers, the pipes are bought from a foreign producer. Representatives of Dniprospetsstal, Dnipropress, Centravis Prduction Ukraine and Oscar confirmed that their enterprises could produce seamless pipes for the Energoatom’s order.
According to the ProZorro e-procurement system, Turboatom on September 5, signed a contract to buy welded pipes worth EUR 4.158 million with Italy’s D.Tubi Inossidabili S.p.A and on September 21, a contract to buy welded pipes worth EUR 4.058 million.
According to ProZorro, Energoatom selected Turboatom to produce equipment for turbine condensers of Zaporizhia NPPs. I&C Energo a.s., Balcke-Durr GmbH and Kralovopolska a. s. also took part in the tender. Their bids were rejected. The expected cost of equipment was 530.488 million UAH.
“The cost of pipes in the cost of this condenser (530 million UAH) is up to 70%. This is around 300 million UAH. Someone can steal half of this 300 million UAH, using welded pipes and putting us in jeopardy for the nearest term or someone would not steal this half and we receive really safe equipment that would serve the required term”, Korol said.
He said that equipment with the lifespan of 30 years (even 40 years) could be received for the same money, not changing the structure of equipment and its production budget, but only by replacing welded pipes with seamless pipes in technical conditions. (Interfax/Business World Magazine)
